Derek Jeter now is being held out of minor-league games and almost assuredly will star the year on the disabled list. / Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports

by Chad Jennings, USA TODAY Sports

by Chad Jennings, USA TODAY Sports

It's becoming inevitable that Derek Jeter will open the season on the disabled list.

Jeter's left ankle was sore again today and he won't play for the next two days. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said April 1 no longer seems to be a realistic goal, and April 6 - with Jeter's DL stint backdated - now seems to be a best-case scenario.

"I think it's starting to set in with him," Cashman said. "I think that the shot really made him feel good. I think that he understands reality of the situation more today than maybe the other day because he's now went out there and DH'd in a minor league game yesterday and then today, lo and behold, he's feeling some more discomfort in a different spot. He realizes that things are happening

"The Opening Day schedule is approaching and he's not 100% just yet. I think the reality is setting in. Maybe his perspective, where it was two days ago, (is now) a little bit closer to, this DL thing might be real."

Jeter had a cortisone shot recently, and the soreness returned after he played in minor league games. Said Cashman: "I think that's his body telling him, 'Not yet.'

Jeter has missed just one opening day since taking over as Yankees shortstop in 1996. That was in 2001, when he had a quadricep injury.